Dear Colleague

Welcome to the July edition of the PROJECT in a box newsletter.  In this version we are bringing you the finalised scope for the new version 2.3 release of PROJECT in a box.

We will also be focusing on connectivity with a review of PIAB Office and looking at how you can access your project material from a mobile phone.

Last but not least we a re bringing you a great offer for PRINCE2 training.........

Malcolm West, Managing Director

Version 2.3 News

Work is now well underway on Version 2.3 of PROJECT in a box with release planned for the end of August to include the following improvements and new features:

• Project attribute visibility - Each project has lots of meta data/attributes stored against it, some in a fixed format and others that you can specify.  You will now be able to select items from this meta data to see alongside your select project lists.  You could choose project status, PM name or something specific to your organisation like region, customer code etc. When using the Status option this will also show the appropriate Project status as a RAG symbol giving you an immediate warning of projects requiring further action.

• Email Groups and Project Rolls - When communicating with other users (sending files, setting up meetings, creating notifications) you will be able to pick from preset named email groups, by allocated Project Roll or from the list of individual users.  This will help bring consistency to communications across project, programme and organisation activities.

• Customisable version numbering - now you can choose and manage your own version number approach for project documents.  You can decide now many levels of numbering you want and the type (numeric, upper and lower case alpha or roman) e.g. 4.A.a.ii.  Users checking in files can decide at which level to increment.  These numbers can also be included in the file naming convention and be automatically updated in your Word documents for perfect sync between electronic and hard copies.

• Multi project views - users will be able to review their activity, manage checked out files and check back in from email across all projects they have permissions for at the same time.  This will provide a one stop shop further reducing the time and effort of keeping up with your activities across multiple projects.
• Change project mid flight - We will be providing updated method templates which will allow you to move more easily between a standard AccessP2 and BasicP2 configuration in case the scope and complexity of your project changes significantly once you have already started. 
• Other items - As usual the new release will also include all patches released and a range of other minor enhancements including the ability to custom specify some reporting data sources, scalable admin forms etc.

As usual version 2.3 will be available as a free upgrade to customers with existing support and upgrades accounts so if you buy PROJECT in a box now your free support and upgrade period will cover you for this new functionality free of charge.  If you want to see the new functionality which has been added in previous releases this is all listed in the forums area of our website.

If you are an existing customer and would like the opportunity to Beta Test version 2.3 before public release contact us at support@projectinabox.org.uk.

Article - Starting the right projects in the right way

Your organisation may have a defined process for selecting and starting projects but more often than not many clients take a surprisingly ad-hoc approach.  This document will look at the early stages of a project focusing on a number of practical recommendations.

The full article by Vince Hines of Wellingtone is available on our website.

PRINCE2 Training Offers

We know that many of you will have downloaded Community Edition to help with your personal study of PRINCE2 but that many of you may not yet be formally qualified.  Thats why we have teamed up with one of the leading Accredited PRINCE2 trainers to offer you a PRINCE2 Supported Learning course. 

The PRINCE2 Foundation Supported Learning course is similar to a distance learning course and allows you to study at your own pace and in your own time but in addition this provides for email and phone contact with the Tutor including answering your questions, feedback on all exercises and on readiness for the examination.

This package includes the full range of materials and also the examination costs and you can either sit the exam in our Partners exam locations in London and on the South Coast of England or you can take it on-line giving you the flexibility to achieve your PRINCE2 qualifcation aspirations from anywhere!

This Foundation supported Learning course is available for the the amazing price of £399 + VAT and can be ordered from our on-line store today.

PIAB on your Phone

Now out of the office doesn't have to mean out of touch because you can get access to your PROJECT in a box information via Enterprise Hub on your Mobile Phone.

All you need is PROJECT in a box 2.2 or newer set up to be accessible over the web and then use the browser on your mobile phone.  Once logged in you can access search, published reports, team contact details as well as viewing current versions of all permitted project documents.

To get the most out of this you will need to have a Windows Mobile or another environment which lets you open your word, excel, powerpoint and PDF documents for viewing.  This makes it perfect for XDA, Blackberry and other serious business phones.

There is no additional cost for this it is all included in your existing licence cost and if you are a PIAB Office customer we even set this facility up for you!

If you want to try it just let us know and we can provide access to some example projects.

PIAB Office Review

PIAB office is the version of PROJECT in a box which we host for you and you then pay monthly for the number of users and level of service you require.

Although most customers still purchase their PIAB licenses out right this SaaS model is proving increasingly popular across the range of our customer types with the following already adopting this approach:

• NHS Trusts
• Manufacturing Organisations
• Management Consultancys
• Banks

The fact that PIAB Office is immediately available in a secure and stable environment and requires no interaction with internal IT departments has been a major differentiator for many of these customers.

Also because PIAB Office operates seamlessly over the web it is so much easier to access from anywhere, even your phone, and to share information and access with partners, suppliers customers.  In fact most customers for PIAB office have a strong international element to their need for collaborative project working.

PIAB Office provides exactly the same great functionality as the conventional purchased system and we will automatically patch you to the latest release of PROJECT in a box so you can take advantage of the great new features when they come out.

The base packages start from £12.50 per user per month and additional users can be added from as little as £1 per user per month so this gives you great control, flexibility and it won't break the bank.

If you would like to know more, have a web demo or have a period of free access to our sample server just contact us and we will get it sorted for you.